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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25460683">Solitude</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_stars_faults/pseuds/the_stars_faults'>the_stars_faults</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff and Angst, Manga Spoiler Warning, Mission Failure, Noelle can care too, Yuno is a sore loser, manga content</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:16:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,244</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25460683</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_stars_faults/pseuds/the_stars_faults</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There will always be a light at the end of the tunnel. Some are just harder to see than others.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Noelle Silva/Yuno</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Solitude</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yuno may be a tad bit OOC in this, but due to the events in the manga I feel like it is understandable as to why he may be like this.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Despair and death.</p><p>That was the sight that met Noelle as she walked through the portal provided to her by Finral, leading her to the now destroyed base of the Golden Dawn. If she didn't know any better, she wouldn't have thought that <em>this </em>was the highest squad the Clover Kingdom had to offer. The eyes of the knights surrounding her held no light, no will to fight whatever it had been that terrorized their lives. These weren't the Magic Knights she joined in arms against the fright of the Elves.</p><p>As she walked through the base, searching for the individuals she seeked, the more Noelle became grateful she was the one sent instead of Mimosa. She could only imagine how horrified her cousin would have been to see her friends...and even <em>family </em>be in the state they were in.</p><p>'Better me than her.' Noelle thought silently, nodding to some of the magic knights that survived the attack.</p><p>Loropechka had seen the attack on the Clover Kingdom, sending Noelle there as soon as it was safe to do so. The silver haired royal was unaware of what actually happened there, but part of her felt like she would find out eventually.</p><p>With a few more steps taken, a mop of familiar blue hair had become visible, a sight that made the girl visibly relax.</p><p>"Klaus! Hey…" Noelle exclaimed, making it so that she would gain the noble's attention.</p><p>When he turned around, his face was stone hard, his eyes even more cold than usual. He was always an uptight person with a gaze that was unwavering, but she's never seen him filled with so much anguish. He tried to give her a proper nod in greeting, but she could tell it was forced.</p><p>"Noelle...it's been a while. What brings you here?" He asked, genuinely curious on what a Black Bull would be doing at their Base...or at least what was left of it.</p><p>"I was sent to see what was done, as well as a clue as to what the Dark Triad was doing here."</p><p>The blue haired male scoffed slightly, "Well, if you must know, they have taken Captain Vengeance. Other than that and murdering half our squad...that was all that was done."</p><p>He adjusted his glasses, but other than that his gaze did not once leave the rubble beneath their feet.</p><p>The royal inhaled sharply, allowing her eyes to graze over their surroundings once more. As she began to take note of those who surround them, her brows began to furrow. There was someone missing…</p><p>"Klaus...where is-"</p><p>She was cut off immediately, as if the male knew full well of what she was about to ask...and he was spot on.</p><p>"If you're searching for Yuno, he's somewhere around the perimeter of the base. I can't tell you where exactly, but if you wander around there, you should be able to find him."</p><p>Noelle straightened up at the information, giving him a small nod. She was never one to do well when put in situations such as this, especially with someone she didn't know all that well. It wasn't until now that she realized...despite considering Klaus a friend, she barely knew anything about him…</p><p>"Thank you...and I'm sorry."</p><p>She swallowed, not bothering to look back as she was met with silence, not that she really expected a response. They deserved their time to grieve…</p><p>It didn't take the woman long to go out and begin her search for Yuno. He was someone she knew she should speak to, if not for the sake of Asta, then to ease her own worries. Noelle was confident that the male had at least seen the attacker's ability, if not even faced it himself. There wasn't a chance that he didn't get involved in something that hit so close to home.</p><p>Deep down, she knew she was worried for his well being as well. She fought alongside him in the Magic Knights Exam as well as other missions, assigned or not. She wasn't sure if he was enough to be considered a friend or not, but she felt <em>something</em> whenever she was with him. What it was? She didn't know. All she knew was that she needed to be assured that he was okay...and still held his light. His <em>hope.</em></p><p>She wandered around the perimeter of the base for a good few minutes, silently cursing those who built the place for making it so <em>big.</em> The Black Bulls base was nothing when it was compared to this...but unlike the Golden Dawn, their base was a literal weapon.</p><p>It was after those minutes passed that she finally caught sight of the male that was barely visible in her line of sight. This was because of how he was walking and in the opposite direction at that. His cape was barely seen as the rest of his figure was blocked behind a wall that remained standing from the base's attack.</p><p>"Yuno!" Noelle exclaimed, her eyebrows furrowing as she rushed towards the male.</p><p>It was at the sound of her voice that the Magic Knight decided to stop. Despite this, he refused to turn around and face her.</p><p>"Noelle...what is it that you need?" He spoke, attempting to keep his voice firm yet...there was something off about it, something that worried the young royal.</p><p>"I wanted to see how you were doing...I might as well since I was here. I'm sure Asta would've liked to know."</p><p>She pursed her lips, unsure on if she should continue pursuing him, especially in this state.</p><p>At first Yuno had stayed silent, something Noelle feared he would stay, but soon enough he turned around to face her, exposing the state he was in. His clothes were torn, the one around his torso worse than any other part of him. She would almost say he looked miserable.</p><p>What made things worse were his words. His words truly showed how much this experience broke him.</p><p>"I failed to protect Captain Vengeance...As the Vice Captain I have failed…" his fists clenched at his side around the same time his teeth had clenched.</p><p>"They didn't even have to use their full power. Is that how beneath them I am? That they could crush me so easily...that I had to be saved again…"</p><p>As he spoke, Noelle wanted to scoff, her eyes almost glaring at the one in front of her, though more than she felt anger...she felt sorrow. She sympathized with the male. He has had his first major loss, and his failure led to so much death...</p><p>"Yuno…" she began, her hand extending out to him, though before she was able to do more, she halted her actions.</p><p>As she did this, she caught sight of Yuno's own gaze, looking between her hand and herself. The look in his eyes was almost curious, as he was unsure on what her goal was.</p><p>"Look...don't beat yourself up over one loss. These guys...they're dangerous. They single handedly destroyed the Diamond Kingdom. It was only a matter of time until they reached the Clover Kingdom...I'm sorry we didn't come sooner."</p><p>Noelle instead rested her hand on Yuno's bicep, her gaze soft as she spoke.</p><p>She was never one to do well with emotions, so for now he would have to suffice with this. There was nothing else she would be able to do…</p><p>For a while, both individuals were silent as well as unmoving. Noelle kept her hand where it was, but refused to look up at the one in front of her. It was only after she began to feel awkward that she decided to fight her nerves and look back at Yuno...who was alarmingly silent.</p><p>To her surprise his eyes were glued on her...and only her. If she didn't know any better, she would have guessed that he was staring at her the whole time. He almost seemed to be in a daze until she locked eyes with his, an action that seemed to bring him back to reality.</p><p>"Thank you Noelle...though I'm not sure when I'll be recovering from this."</p><p>Noelle pursed her lips when she heard what she did. For some reason that frustrated her. Yuno was supposed to be as thick headed and stubborn as Asta...so how could he get this bad?</p><p>If there was one thing she could tell though, he seemed to have his spirits lifted, even if it was just for a moment. He didn't seem as stiff and for the first time since their small reunion, there was a gleam in his eyes, a gleam of hope...and something else.</p><p>"I guess I should get going huh? The others will need to hear this."</p><p>The young royal retreated her hand back to her side, a smile resting on her lips. Now that she felt she had done her job, there was no need to stay.</p><p>Yuno on the other hand, held an unusual look on his face. Noelle wasn't sure what it was or what it meant, but all she could tell was that something made him unhappy, returning him to a state similar to the one he was in before.</p><p>"Do you have to go now?" He mummered, looking off to the side.</p><p>If Noelle didn't know any better, she would have thought that she <em>imagined </em>Yuno saying that instead of him actually <em>saying </em>it...but apparently that wasn't the case.</p><p>"Wait, what?" She asked, snapping her head back towards the male, unbelieving of what she had just heard.</p><p>Before the royal was able to comprehend anything else, her head was pressed against the shoulder of the one who stood in front of her, both their bodies now flush together. His arms wrapped around her torso.</p><p>He must have been out of it...<em>real</em> out of it, because there was no way Yuno would act this way, so sudden and out of the blue.</p><p>"Not yet…"</p><p>Noelle raised a brow, unsure on what to take from this. At this point she was as stiff as a board, though more so from shock than anything else.</p><p>"You...are you talking to me?" She wondered aloud, turning her head slightly to try and look at the Vice Captain.</p><p>"Well...there isn't anyone else here, is there."</p><p>Noelle rose a brow at that, a small laugh escaping her lips at the question.</p><p>"For all I know, you could've been talking to your little pixie."</p><p>Yuno couldn't help but smirk at that, shaking his head to dismiss her words.</p><p>"She's taking a small break. The battle took a lot out of her."</p><p>Noelle let out an exasperated sigh, moving her hands on top of Yuno's and moving them away from her.</p><p>"Yeah...I can only come to the conclusion that you're tired as well. If that's the case, then you go ahead and regain your mana, I'm sure you'll join the others soon enough."</p><p>At first Yuno stayed silent at her words, something that worried her for the thousandth time today, but soon enough she had gained a nod of his head in response. "You've grown, I can't wait to see how you fare on the battlefield...until then I guess."</p><p>He seemed to be holding something back. She didn't know why he gave her that feeling, but he did...though as long as he wasn't down like he was earlier, she wouldn't sit on it too long.</p><p>"Hah! Maybe I've passed you up already, I'll show you how much I've grown...when the time is right of course."</p><p>The young royal flashed him a smile, turning around to go back to the Heart Kingdom.</p><p>"Be careful though, whoever attacked didn't even reach his full power...and he almost managed to kill me."</p><p>The last part was hard for the male to spit out, but she had to know the dangers. He wasn't sure how much power she actually held, but it was always better to go in a battle knowing something rather than nothing.</p><p>"Oh?...Well then, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you again Yuno." Noelle flashed him a smile before walking back to where the rest of the Golden Dawn had been, leaving the Vice Captain back to himself.</p><p>Recently he has been feeling off. At first he thought it was because of his sudden change in society. People began to like him, accept him even though he was a commoner. Just as he had planned when he first joined the Magic Knights, he was climbing up the ranks.</p><p>It was as this all happened that the newest Vice Captain began to realize how much he missed the smaller crowds, the people that accepted him for <em>him</em> and not because of his rank or abilities. Oddly enough, there was a sizable amount of Black Bulls that fit into the group. Of course there was Asta, then the one who gave him food often...Charmy was her name? And then there was Noelle…</p><p>At first she was just that annoying girl who followed Asta, but as more time passed...his opinions of her changed. He didn't realize when...or how that happened, but it was sometime around the Royal Knights exam...it must have been. He's never done anything with it before, but his state today...surfaced something inside of him. Something he's not willing to deal with...yet.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you all for reading! I know this is my first post for the Black Clover fandom here on archive, so I hope I made a good first impression! Please comment your ideas or thoughts! I love to see what you all think of my writing, even on this rare pair &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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